


Bring it In

by eternier



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 09:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19248697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternier/pseuds/eternier
Summary: Keith and Florian go on a father & son fishing trip.





	Bring it In

**Author's Note:**

> Written for bleusarcelle's Last Sunrise AU contest!
> 
> I imagine this taking place after Keith and Lance get married in the AU so ~8 months after the end of the fic.  
> Also, I tried to get this out for Father's Day because it's essentially a Kieth and Florian bonding fic.

Everything was the same, except it wasn’t. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Many small things had changed, but they still felt the same. Sir Keith was still there at the dinner table, except he was just sitting next to Papa instead of standing at the door. And at bedtime, he was still there, but Florian would be sandwiched between his Papa and Sir Keith telling (and sometimes correcting) stories. It was different, but it still felt _right_. It was the new ordinary for them, and Florian wouldn’t change it for the world.

 

But it did change _something_.

 

Ever since the wedding people kept looking at Florian when he was with Sir Keith. He felt their eyes bearing down more intensely than before.

  
Like they were waiting for something, but he wasn’t sure what they were waiting for.

 

-  
 

Keith could feel that something was different, well actually everything was different. Everyone bowed when he walked in the room; he still wasn’t used to being called “Your Highness.” His life of solitary duty was slowly and thoroughly being erased by one of statesmanship. All his life he was was a moon that had orbited around the planet of royalty, but being with Lance meant falling out of orbit and crash landing into someplace- that despite how long he had stared at it, he actually knew nothing about. But despite his strange new position, he was fine because in his heart nothing has changed. He may no longer hold the same duty in his title, but the duty in his heart was the same: to Lance and Florian. Always.

 

And that duty meant he had new call he had to answer to: fatherhood.

 

Strangely it was not Lance or Florian that made him feel the pressure, but everyone else. Every interaction he had with Florian was the same as before, but being viewed through a lens that he couldn’t see. For once the scrutiny made him squirm, because he wasn’t judged for how he carried himself but for how he carried someone else: a boy who represented a kingdom’s future; the son of the man he loved; _his_ son.

 

He just hoped that he was good enough.

 

-

Florian was the one who suggested that they go fishing. Papa had taken Florian fishing many times during the summer. They sat on the edge of the pier staring out at sea. He would watch as Papa leaned back and cast his line out so far that it would disappear for a few seconds until he saw it fall and plop gently into the waves.

Florian would try to send his line out as far and as high as Papa, but his always seemed to fall only a meter away.

 

“Here,” his Papa would say and put one hand on his shoulder and one on his wrist “3, 2, 1 and…” they would pull back “throw!”  Suddenly his line was flying up into the sky before landing a bit closer to Papa.

 

“That was a good one!” Papa would say ruffling his hair “Look at that!”  

 

Their two bobbles bouncing near each other: Florian and his Papa.

 

If he could do that with Sir Keith then maybe, just maybe Sir Keith could like his Papa too.

 

-  
 

Lance had laughed that night when he told him what Florian had planned for them.

 

“But you probably haven’t fished in years,” he said giggling.

“I have!”

“With a fishing pole?”

“...No.”

And that just made Lance laugh more.  
“It’s easier to spear fish in a river! And you don’t have to deal with any of the hook and line stuff.”  
“You mean the ‘fishing’ stuff?”

“Shut up.” he said lightly poking him in the shoulder with a half-hearted pout on his face.

 

“In all honesty, I really want to do this,” Keith said his tone becoming more serious than before. “It’s the first time he’s asked to do something with just the two us. I’m...honored really.”

“Aww Keith” Lance leans over and kisses his husband’s cheek. “He’s very lucky to have you. _We’re_ very lucky to have you.”

 

But at the moment Keith doesn’t like he’s anyone’s luck at all. In fact, he feels like he’s cursed this whole endeavor.

 

It was bad when he couldn’t remember how to tie on his hook (Florian helped him in the end.)

It got worse when he could barely cast his line out as far as Florian’s.

And now that he currently falling towards the ocean it’s officially gone off the deep end...literally.

 

_“I’m sorry,” Keith said. “I feel like this isn’t going how you planned.”_

_“It’s okay!” Florian said quicker than Keith had anticipated. “I’m...I’m having a good time! I promise!”_

_“Well thank you, for being so patient with me.”_ _  
_ _“It’s no prob-woah!” There was a tug on Florian rod nearly yanking the boy right to the edge of the pier._

_Keith rushed and grabbed Florian by the waist._ _  
_ _“Hang on, I got you! I got you!”_

_Florian grunts and pulls on his fishing rod. He grits his teeth and continues to pull and wound furiously._

_“It’s getting away!”_

_It’s true, the pole is bent so far Keith’s afraid it might snap. But the line is close to the pier. It’s too far for Florian but maybe…_

_Florian gains his footing and Keith hesitantly let's go. He reaches out to the wavering line that is so tantalizingly close...just a little bit more…_

_Suddenly he completely tilted forward and the ocean is getting closer by the second._

 

He surfaces with a gasp and a wince as he tries to clear the salt water from his nose.

 

“Sir Keith! Sir Keith!”

 

Florian is kneeling near the edge of the pier his worried expression relaxes into one of relief when Keith meets his eyes. Keith’s eyes flick towards the fishing pole under Florian’s hand, the fishing wire feebly holding onto the snapped remains of the fishing pole, dangling over the pier.

 

“I’m okay! I’ll be right back up!”

 

As he is rushing back down the pier he sees Florian looking down on his tiny broken fish rod in his hands the frown on his face apparent from even this distance.

 

He squats down to Florian’s eye level soaking wet and panting.

 

“Florian, I’m so sorry.” He feels a knot in throat forming to match the one in his stomach. “I’m so sorry I messed everything up. I know you wanted today to be special, and I-” He’s cut off by a weight slamming into his chest and tiny arms wrapping around his neck.

 

“That was scary, but it’s okay.” Florian says with a sob.

 

And Keith doesn’t hesitate to hug this amazing kid back with everything he’s got. “I’m sorry for scaring you.” he says stroking the back of Florian's head “But I’m okay and everything’s okay.”

 

They stay like that for a while and when he pulls back Florian wipes his eyes before giving a confident “Mmhm!” with one of the warmest smiles that Keith’s ever seen.

-  
  
They both arrive back at the castle dripping wet, the broken rod lightly dangling from Florian’s left hand and the empty fish-bucket swinging back and forth on Keith’s right. The guards at the front gate don’t even try to hide their raised eyebrows and questioning stares. But Lance is there with the biggest grin on his face. “Did you going swimming with the fish instead of catching them?” he says with a chuckle and squats down with open arms for Florian to run into. Lance scoops him up to carry him back to the castle, Florian babbling happily the whole time about how he had to “show Sir Keith _everything._ ” Lance listens attentively occasionally looking at Keith with grateful, knowing smile. Suddenly Florian turns to Keith enthusiastically and asks “Can we do this again?” and Keith’s heart swells. And without a second thought, he says “Any time you want.”


End file.
